Madam of the Xiangyang Uncle’s Mansion saw her daughter kneeling on the ground, her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stepped forward, saluted Song Ci, and smiled apologetically.
"Madam, I don’t know what fault my daughter has committed to anger you?"
The British Duke’s Madam also stepped forward with a smile: "No matter what, Madam, please calm down, don’t let yourself get too upset."
Song Ci said: "Is it a minor fault? I just wanted to ask, is it a crime to slander and disrespect the court officials and the royal commandery princess?"
Everyone’s faces changed simultaneously.
Madam of the Xiangyang Uncle’s Mansion’s body trembled, and she subconsciously turned to glare at her daughter, what nonsense have you done?
Song Ci looked at Nanny Gong: "Nanny Gong, you were present just now and heard clearly. Mimic what those girls said so they can hear what disrespect sounds like."
Nanny Gong curtsied in response, cleared her throat, and mimicked the conversation of these noble ladies word for word without missing anything.
The faces of the madams from the noble ladies’ families involved in this matter immediately turned pale, and they wished they could faint on the spot.
They were in for it, daring to slander Commandery Princess Dongyang behind her back and letting someone hear it. What were they thinking!
Madam of the Xiangyang Uncle’s Mansion slapped Lin Zhiying’s face in anger, this stupid fool, is she intending to implicate the entire Xiangyang Uncle’s Mansion?
Lin Zhiying screamed, covered her face, and cried.
"Shut your mouth, do you still have the face to cry? Kneel properly for me." Madam of the Xiangyang Uncle’s Mansion glared at her viciously, then kneeled before Niu Pan’er, her face full of shame: "Commandery Princess, it is my inability to teach my daughter properly, please punish her."
Others, like Madam Zhang, the wife of the Minister of Rites, also trembled and apologized to Niu Pan’er, pleading for forgiveness for these ignorant, thoughtless girls.
Niu Pan’er was somewhat stunned.
It wasn’t that she was very angry. Raised like a boy since childhood, she had anticipated such a day, where she would be unacknowledged and scorned, and this wasn’t the first time.
Thus, although she was hurt, it was still within her range of acceptance, she was accustomed to it.
But what pained her was realizing that when girls made mistakes, they had mothers to protect and plead for them.
Niu Pan’er suddenly felt a chill. She also wanted her mother to protect her, but she was long gone.
A sudden warmth spread through her hand; she looked down and saw a wrinkled hand holding hers.
Niu Pan’er’s eyes grew moist.
Song Ci looked at the ladies of Xiangyang Uncle’s Mansion and others, and said: "Frankly, don’t talk about forgiveness or not, after all, you are the elders of this girl. Why force her to forgive? In saying so, should she agree or not? Not everyone is willing to be a saint."
"Let’s speak reasonably, Commandery Princess Dongyang is a first-rank commandery princess, also conferred by the Emperor as a valiant Military General, officially recorded, receiving the court’s salary and military pay, which means she is a woman hero recognized by the Emperor. Yet such a hero who contributes to the country is slandered by mere girls who have no ranks? Do you not acknowledge the Emperor’s conferring, or do you have no regard for imperial might, disrespecting imperial authority?"
These words were indeed piercing to the heart.
Madam of the Xiangyang Uncle’s Mansion was extremely resentful in her heart, but didn’t dare to argue, only prostrated on the ground, loudly begging for mercy.
The unrelated madams instinctively moved a few steps away from them.
Disrespecting imperial authority is a grave crime that no one can bear.
Madam Song looked at Madam of the Xiangyang Uncle’s Mansion crying and sobbing, then glanced at her mother-in-law, secretly marveling in her heart.
After this illness, her mother’s intimidating aura surpassed what it had been before.